Target shooting has long amused and entertained both youngsters and adults, alike, as well as being a training vehicle for military and police use. One example of target shooting relates to trap shooting, such as "skeet" shooting, wherein target traps are used to eject disk targets known as clay pigeons. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,855,916 to Foster discloses a mobile apparatus for an attendant of a skeet shooting event to control electronically the target releasing traps, while the attendant is also able to simultaneously tabulate the scores of the marksman.
Stationary target shooting is another type of shooting activity for a marksman. This type of target shooting can function as firing simulation for training law enforcement agents, as well as for entertainment, such as in a sporting event. For example, target shooting is a standard sport in the Olympic games. In a stationary target shooting environment, a marksman standing behind a table or a bench of a predetermined height, and at a predetermined distance from the target, aims and then fires a series of shots at the target. Hence, a certain amount of time is allocated for the marksman to shoot at the target, wherein a score is tabulated by examining the placements of the bullet marks so as to determine the precision and accuracy with which the marksman fired the shots.
A variation of the target shooting is a running target shooting event, wherein one or several mobile targets are propelled across an opening or "window" at which time a participant is permitted to fire at the target or plurality of targets. Examples of running target shooting games exist at a variety of different places, such as shooting galleries at amusement parks, arcades, and the like. In these types of shooting galleries, the targets usually comprise a plurality of objects, such as ducks moving laterally from one side to the other side. The targets are usually propelled by means of a rotary track, wherein a participant is positioned a predetermined distance away from the targets and has a certain period of time in which to fire bullets at the targets. Normally, each target will fall down or otherwise vindicate when the participant has successfully hit the target.
In the sport of Olympic or NRA sanctioned running target shooting, there are two categories of competition: the 10 meter and 50 meter ranges. Thus, the marksman can shoot from 10 meters or from 50 meters away depending upon which competition is taking place. This distance is measured from the edge of the bench or table nearest the marksman to the target when it is in the center of the opening. The opening is defined as the space between two walls or the "window" in which the target is visible to the marksman. In the 50 meter range, the width of the opening is 10 meters wide, wherein the target is visible. In the 10 meter range, the "window" is 2 meters wide.
In addition, competition rules require that the target be printed in one color and that it have an illustration of an animal thereon, such as a boar. The target includes a series of scoring rings superimposed thereon with the values of 1 through 10 clearly printed on each of the rings. Further, the movement of the target laterally across the opening is called a "run", wherein the following two different run speeds are used in competition: the slow run and the fast run. For a slow run, the time period in which the marksman is allowed to fire at the target is between 5 and 5.2 seconds. For a fast run, the time period allowed to fire at the target is between 2.5 and 2.6 seconds. Timing of the run begins when the target is first visible, and ends when the leading portion of the target reaches the opposite wall. Very specific rules are promulgated by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the international bodies as to how the running target shooting game should be organized.
Although running target shooting is an official Olympic game, there are less than 10 indoor target shooting ranges in the entire United States available for running target shooting practice. While the 50 meter running target shooting is a very popular sport in the European countries, it is not common in the United States due mainly to a lack of training facilities. A typical running target shooting range comprises a target placed on a trolley system which runs laterally back and forth on rails or cable and is driven by a motor. This type of arrangement allows the target to move laterally while the marksman remains stationary. The systems used in shooting galleries in arcades and amusement parks is generally equivalent in nature to the system of a typical running target shooting range. Only the scope and dimensions vary from one type of range to the other. The term running target shooting range is therefore meant to include the other types of running target games, such as those found in shooting galleries.
In the prior art, running target shooting games and ranges, such as those discussed above, appear to be somewhat successful in providing ranges for running target shooting, they nevertheless exhibit various problems and shortcomings that are inherent in their respective designs. For instance, the prior art running target shooting range assembly requires a great deal of space and is usually fixed in place at a particular range. In other words, it would be difficult to convert a stationary target range to a running target range because of the limitations of space and the mechanical assembly that the running target would require. The minimum amount of space that a 50 meter running target range would require to operate according to the official rules could accommodate ten stationary target shooting positions. This factor appears to be the main reason why so few indoor 50 meter running target shooting ranges are available in the entire United States.
Thus, a need exists for an improved running target range and system that overcomes the problems and shortcomings of the prior art such as the space limitations.